The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-08

evidently of Wort Kartf, the herring curer
"Therel" laconically put in the Doctor
EYES," nodded the herring curer's mother.
.Hurrah- wow" struck up Hurzof
Just then the Vanglor. vibrating to its founda-
tons with a noise like thunder, threw up one
huge mass of fuliginous flames that rent the
clouds DR. Trifulgas was thrown to the ground
by the force Of the conclusion Regaining his
footing, however. he swore like trooper. and
looked around.
The old woman had disappeared. She must
have fallen through some deep crevice in the
ground or taken fight on the floating fog clouds
of ocean.
The dog. nevertheless, was there. upright on
his launches, his mouth wide open, but the
light of his lantern was blown out.
'Never MIND" Tumbled the Doctor, lets 60
on"
The honest man had pocketed his 100 fretzers,
and now felt that he must earn them.
vi.
lone light was visible in the distance, half a
kertse away. Doubtless it was the lamp of the
dying, or, perchance. dead man, and yonder
must be the herring -curer's abode. There could
be no mistake, for the old woman had pointed it
out And so thinking. under the whistling
whffs of the wind and the driving swash of the
rain with the whole noise of the storm in his
ears. DIR. Trifulgas hurried on in the direction
of the house which. standing in front of wide
heath. became more distinctly perceptible as the
wayfarer approached.
1t was a singular and noteworthy fact to OBJ
serve how much the house of the herring curer
looked like the Doctors 'Sx Quatre" at Luktrop.
There was certainly the same arrangement in
the front windows and the little vaulted door at
the side.
DR.. Trifulgas strobe on as fast as the driving
gusts of wind and rain would allow. He reached
the door, which was ajar. pushed it open. and
entered; the force of the blast closed it behind
him with bang.
The dog outside howled or was silent by turns,
as when choristers chant the verses of forty
hours psalm.
IL
frmed that DR.. Trifulgas had come back to his
own place This. however. could not be. He
took 10 wrong turning on the road, nor did he
lose his way. No, he was certainly at Val
Carniou. and not at Luktrop. Yet, how came
it that his eye dwelt on the same low, vaulted
corridor, the same winding staircase and the
same massive wooden railing. hand-worn like
his own.
He mounted the stairs and stopped on the
landing.
A faint light came from under the door, as at
the six Quatre!"
Was it a snare or delusion2 By the urcer-
tain elimmer of the lamp he vaguely recognized
his own room. There was the yellow SOFA AID
there on the right was the old oak chest: and
there the left was the iron-bound safe in
which he purposed placing his 100 fretzers.
Yonder. again, were his armchair. with its
leather tasses, his table with its convoluted legs
and upon it. by the Pickering lamp, his own
Codex, still open at page 49,
''What ails meW murmured the Doctor
What ails you7 Why. you are palsied with
fright Your eyeba,ls start from their sockets
Your body contracts and dwindles in size. AN
icy sweat chills your skin, on which nameless
horrors silently creep. Quick or the lamp will
go out for lack of oil, aud the sick man die Yes,
the bed is there-his own, one would think with
it's pillars and baldaquin-a bell broad as it is
long, and the closed curtains with their large in
wrought flowers.
Can this indeed be the bed of poor herring
/ curer?
Tranh,;,. al ave-, ~. no.t., 5..
pulled the curtains aside. and peered within.
There, outstretched on his dying bed, the sick
man lay, with his head dropping over the coun-
terpane and his body motionless. like one about
| to breathe his last.
The Doctor leaned forward.
Alb! what horrid scream was that which rent
the air and was taken up by the dog outside with
his sinister howlineY
DR.. Trfuleas himself. who is the dying man
| He is smitten down with brain fever. Full we'll
| he knows the symptoms-it is cerebral apoplexy,
with sudden accumulation of serosity in the cav
tiles of the brain. and partial paralysis of the
body on the side opposite that where the lesion
| exists.
| It is for him, and no other that assistance was
besought, that 120 fretzers were paid! He who,
in the hardness of his heart refused to attend the
| poor herring curer 1t is himself, then, who is
| now dying!
DR.. Trifulgas raved like maniac. The dan
gerous symptoms increased every minute. Not
only were ali the IuuctlOnS OF relation DEAD with
in him, but the beatings of his heart were nearly
| gone, like the breath of his lungs
| Yet he mad not lost all consciousness Of his
| desperate strait
What could he do2 Diminish the mass of the
blood by bleedinr2 There must be no hesitation
or DR.. Trfulgas would be dead man. Phlebot-
omy was still practiced in those days, and then
as now the doctors rescued from apopexy ali
those who we're not to die of it's effects.
DR.. Trifulgas seized his case of instruments
took his lancet and punctured the vein of his
own arm No blood, however, spurted from the
| incision. He frictioned with all his might the
chest of the dying one, but found that the pulsa
tons of his own heart diminished; he burned the
others feet with hot bricks, but felt his OWL
| feet growing cold.
Suddenly his own duplicate self started up ir
bed. struggled wildly in the last throes of sus
! pended breathing, rattle came into his throat
and DR.. Trifulgas, with all his science fell bach
dead in his own arms.
Whit! blew the wind and swish went the rair
outside, as the storm gradually abated
VII.
On the following morning corpse was found
in the house known as the ''Six-Quatre," th'
corpse of Dr. Trifulgas
He was placed in an oak coffin and convened
in great pomp to the cemetery of Luktrop, afte
the manner Of the many he had already sen
there.
AS for old Hurzof, am told the faithful beas
may still be seen with his lantern relighted
securing the heath at night, and bowling for hi
lost master.
If this be true or not really cannot saw We
so many strange things do in fact occur in thj
Volsinan country. especially round about Lux
trop, that see no reason to doubt the state
ment
At any rate, let me ask of you once more no
to look up this town Of Luktrop on the map
| nt,v hnek ,hnv, 1xsI